10 Years Ago

I was asleep through both of the towers collapsing. I had worked late at Logan’s, and probably gone out drinking which would explain why I was sleeping my sister’s waterbed at home that night. Dad was at work and I assume Andrea was at college. Mom and I were asleep. When I finally got up to get ready for work, or whatever it was I was going to do between waking up and getting to work, I turned on the radio. There was no music. Cadillac Jack kept saying, “I can’t believe this is happening, this is unbelievable, our world has changed.” I had turned on the water to get in the shower and just stood there, letting it run, while I waited for him to tell me what was so unbelievable. It took several minutes because most of America was awake already and knew. When he finally said, “If you’re just tuning in, two planes have crashed into the Twin Towers in New York…” I ran downstairs and woke Mom up. We sat in her room, and then the living room, watching the coverage. It wasn’t terrorists yet. No one knew about the plane headed for the Pentagon yet. It was just a horrible accident, a strange accident since there were two planes.

I don’t have it with me here in Guatemala, but I had just started journaling again the day before September 11th, so I have all my thoughts saved. I can remember that mostly I felt disbelief and a huge disconnect from the whole situation. I didn’t know anyone in New York and it honestly took a while to feel the true impact of what had happened. It took being able to put families to the names of those missing, firemen hats to the lost heroes. It was so surreal and it still is, ten years later.

Today I say a prayer for those lost and those who lost. May God grant you peace and strength every day.